Victor village vote to decide FD future

Saturday

Residents to vote Tuesday on a plan to dissolve the Victor Volunteer Fire Department and form a fire district

VICTOR — The future of Victor’s 215-year-old, village-owned volunteer fire department will be decided when voters head to the polls Tuesday.

The fire district referendum vote is set for noon to 9 p.m. March 19 at Village Hall, 60 E. Main St., and is open to all village residents.

At stake is the proposed dissolution of the Victor Volunteer Fire Department, currently under the auspices of village government, and the formation of an independent joint fire district that would have the authority to levy taxes.

Still driven primarily by its 53-member army of volunteers, the new district would add some additional paid firefighters to ensure fire protection during weekdays when many volunteers are at work, said Fire Chief Sean McAdoo.

Whether the referendum passes or fails Tuesday, fire department staff and village officials agree that additional staffing is likely needed for the thriving fire department that protects the most densely populated portion of the town and village: about 10 square miles and 10,000 residents.

“Whether this goes to a district or we keep the assets of the fire department within the control of the village, fire protection services taxes will go up because of the need for daytime paid firefighters,” said Mayor Gary Hadden.

“The need for paid firefighters during the day is driven by a decline in volunteerism, which is being experienced statewide,” Hadden said. “While we still do have a good volunteer base, the number of qualified and trained interior firefighters is declining and has been for some time.”

How it would work

The new Victor Fire District would begin June 1, and would encompass the same geographic area as is currently served by the Victor Fire Department — the town and village territory, minus the Fishers Fire District. Fishers covers the westernmost parts of Victor, which are dense with industrial and commercial properties such as Eastview Mall.

The new district would be governed by a five-member Board of Fire Commissioners, to be appointed initially by the Town Board with Village Board input, and after that would be elected by the residents of the district each December, said Hadden.

Six to eight people are interested in serving, McAdoo said. Three are active firefighters, while the others are non-firefighters.

Also, payments are still being made on the two major assets owned by the village used by firefighters: the Victor Fire Hall and one “quint” ladder truck, Hadden said. So the new district would have the option of leasing the Fire Hall from the village, and when the bond is paid in full, to purchase the building for $1.

The district could also lease the “quint” fire truck and eventually purchase that for $1 as well, Hadden said.

If the referendum passes, all other village-owned vehicles, equipment, fixtures, tools and uniforms used by the fire department, and the remaining balance of all reserve accounts established by the village for the fire department, would be transferred to the new Victor Fire District on June 1.

Also part of the transaction: the Length of Service Awards Program, currently sponsored by the village for the benefit of firefighters, would become the responsibility of the new district.

If passed, the new district’s operational expenses from June through December 2019 would be financed by previously budgeted funds from the village and town, until the new fire district tax is levied in 2020. The new commission would develop a proposed budget for 2020, and will hold public hearings as the village and town do now, according to the referendum.

The fire department’s 2019 budget does not include money for paid firefighters, so they’d be on hold.

McAdoo recommends putting two firefighters on duty during the daytime, Monday through Friday, when the volunteers are mostly unavailable. The commission for 2020 would determine if this is appropriate and if they would be full time, part time, or contracted with other agencies.

If two full-time firefighters were added and no increases were made to any other budget lines, an estimated $1.25 per $1,000 assessed valuation would be needed to cover their salaries, McAdoo projected. There may or may not be other associated increases that the elected commissioners would determine.

The tax levied by the new district would be payable with the town and county tax bill.

Other big changes?

There aren’t as many as residents may think, said McAdoo.

“Really, it’s the same people, using the same trucks at the same location doing the same job,” McAdoo said. “The only difference is who approves and manages the budget and levies the taxes for fire protection. Right now it’s the village, and we’re asking that it go to the entire area benefiting from the fire protection.”

With about eight new volunteers each year and four pending currently, Victor is one area fire department that’s seeing consistent growth.

“That’s the whole mission we’re trying to do — encourage and keep that volunteer base strong,” said McAdoo. “People work during the day so we do need paid staff, but as long as we keep the trend going … We have about 10,000 residents in our district so we have twice as many to draw from (as does the Fishers Fire District). The village has a younger demographic, which makes it much better for volunteers.”

Hadden said he’s proud of the Victor Fire Department “and what they’ve been able to do for so many years with volunteer support and exceptional professionalism and dedication.”

“They are committed to continuing the effort to recruit and retain volunteers to help control control costs,” Hadden said.

Background

In 2016, the town of Victor conducted a review of emergency services, including law enforcement, emergency medical service, and fire, to plan for the future. Since that time, the town and village have been working to implement the recommendations. The first choice was to merge Fishers and Victor fire departments into a single townwide district. Fishers chose to not accept that action. The second choice was to move Victor to a stand-alone fire district.

Did you know?

— Village residents are taxed for fire protection as part of their overall village tax bill.

— About 19 percent of village taxes are currently allocated to fire protection.

— Residents of both the town and village pay the same tax rate, which is about $0.819 per $1,000 of assessed value of their home.

— A resident who owns a $125,000 home currently pays $111.25 per year for fire services.

— A resident who owns a $200,000 home currently pays $163.80 per year for fire services.

— A resident who owns a $350,000 home currently pays $286.65 per year for fire services.

— About 75 percent ($546,000) of the fire department budget comes from town residents not within the Fishers District area.

— Victor Fire Department has 53 volunteers, and in 2018 turned out an average of 9.5 firefighters per call.

— Four official town and village public hearings and multiple informational meetings have been held over the last four years to discuss the proposed Victor Fire District.

If you vote

WHAT: Village of Victor election

WHEN: Tuesday, March 19, noon to 9 p.m.

WHERE: Victor Village Hall, 60 E. Main St., Victor

INFO: Vote for mayor and two trustee seats, along with a referendum for fire department dissolution/re-formation

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